How life will change

How LiFEwiLL CHANGE

The launch of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant opens up new horizons for the application of electric energy. And it’s not just about reducing the ecological burden and saving on natural gas imports — energy from the BelNPP will allow us to take a fresh look at many activities.

the number of electric cars in Belarus has doubled over the past six months and exceeded 1.200. Next, the figure will certainly grow exponentially: the development of electric transport is a global trend. In 2021, BELGEE CJSC alone plans to produce around 1.000 electric vehicles in the price category that doesn’t go beyond 30.000 US dollars. The first samples of such vehicles are already being tested. At the same time, infrastructure for this type of transport is being developed: for example, Belorusneft is planning to increase the number of charging stations to six hundred next year. Additional measures to stimulate the purchase of electric vehicles are also being developed.

What else? One of the residents of the China-Belarus Industrial Park “Great Stone” is implementing a project to produce electric bikes. Electric buses in Minsk have already become a common means of urban public transport, and their appearance in other cities is not far off. It seems unlikely that the development of this segment of transport will stop there. Anyway, during the opening ceremony of new Minsk metro stations, Alexander Lukashenko gave instructions to gradually transfer the capital to electric transport. One of the most promising areas is the construction

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examples of electric transport equipment of electrified apartment housing. In such buildings electricity is used for heating, hot water supply and cooking. There are similar examples in Belarus. An appropriate tariff policy will have to encourage the use of electricity in housing in the future. The Smart Cities concept assumes a comprehensive application of modern solutions in housing and public services, construction and spatial planning, transport infrastructure, health care, education and law enforcement. The functioning of this system presupposes the presence of extensive networks, sensors, detectors, actuators and mechanisms — electricity is simply a must here. Electricity can be used to produce hydrogen. So far, however, more is invested in this area than received. However, many experts believe that hydrogen fuel is a very promising form of energy.

The BelNPP project is a platform for the widespread introduction of the most advanced technologies into the economy and the creation of innovative industries based on them. It is a transition to a new technological mode of energy in favour of the environment and competitive tariffs. By the way, Belarus has declared its intention to make an unconditional commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. The work of the nuclear power plant, according to the Ministry of Energy, will contribute to achieving this goal. The Ministry has estimated that the two Nuclear Power Plant units will cover 40 per cent of the country’s electricity needs, while greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by more than 7 million tons per year. By Alexey Fedosov